It is my view that it is better to wash the car with whatever you’ve got handy than to forever drive around in a filthy car. Dead bugs, bird droppings, sap, and road grime can all do damage to your paint – especially if left there for months at a time. While dish soap is great at degreasing, that may not be what you want. For example, any wax that might be on your car will be stripped by many dish soaps.

But, real car wash soap is milder than your dish soap, and is designed with a different purpose in mind. Good car wash soap will include waxes and lubricants that will both protect the vehicle after the wash, and help to make the process less time consuming while yielding better results.